Baroness Boothroyd wanted to use her final speech to criticise prime ministers for granting too many peerages to their friends or those with “fat bank accounts”, her former secretary has revealed.
The former Speaker, who died last February, had intended to make a valedictory speech in the Lords before retiring and had agreed to the final draft.
She was, however, unable to deliver it as a result of ill health and Sir Nicholas Bevan, her former secretary, has now arranged for it to be published.
Lady Boothroyd, a former Labour MP, planned to set out her views on the composition of the House of Lords as well as to declare that politics had not been “just a career” but her life.
In a text of the final address, she wrote: “Successive prime ministers have attached importance to their power of patronage; in my view this should be exercised far less generously than has tended to be the case in the recent past.
“Of course, prime ministers should be permitted to make appointments on leaving office but they should be limited in their proposals and they should not include those who are simply friends or have no other qualifications than having fat bank accounts from which they have bankrolled the party in power.”
‘Absurd’ number of members in the Lords
The existence of the speech was revealed at Lady Boothroyd’s memorial at the Westminster Abbey earlier this month.
The final version, published on Monday in the House Magazine, was agreed in 2022 a few months before her death, according to Sir Nicholas.
Boris Johnson announced he was going to resign in July 2022 and sparked a backlash after a draft of his resignation honours list emerged that summer which included Mr Johnson’s aides and Tory donors.
A total of seven new life peerages were eventually announced in June of last year as part of his final honours list, which included Baroness Owen, who became the youngest ever life peer aged 29.
Theresa May, Mr Johnson’s predecessor, granted 19 life peerages and David Cameron before her granted 16.
William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
